Rail-joint



A. J. WILKlNS.

RAIL JOINT;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1.920.

1,391,438. ate tedSept- 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

mu A I,- 2a

' ,1 Fig-I.

AJ mm;

INVENTOR ATTORNEY wrmzssrs A. J. WILKINS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1920.

1,391,438. PatentedSept. 20,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR A'ITORNEY WITNBSFS UNITED STATES ARTHUR J. 'wILxms, OEIBRISTOW, vincrmA.

nunaomr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Application filed March 5, 1920.. Serial No. 363,476.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. WILKINS, a citizen of the United States, residingat Bristow, in the county of Prince William and State of Virginia, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My present inventionhas reference to a means for connecting the confronting ends of railwa rails. t

The primary object is to producea means whereby the rail ends will be effectively connected and supported in a manner that will prevent vertical or independent side movement of the rails which would tend to bring the same out of alinement, and which will also permit of a limitedlongitudinalmovement of the rails incident to expansion and contraction or tothe pushing effect of the wheels traveling thereover, means; being provided, however, for preventing further movement thereof beyond the limited movement aforesaid, thus forming a rigid lim'it to movement equivalent to'a direct contact of the rail ends.

A further object is to produce a comparatively simple but practical and'thoroughly effective rail joint.

Other objects'and advantages will present themselves as the natureof the invention is better understood, reference being had to tion,

the drawings accompanying this specificain which there is illustrated a satisfactory embodiment of the improvement reduced to practice.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan-view showing two vention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a similar view with parts in sec tion showing the two rails separated by contraction. V

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 44: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a similar sectional viewflon the line 5 -5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view. ofthe pivoted rail engaging member.

. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the link which I also provides a rail engaging. member.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one of therail ends. 1

Fig. 9 is a side elevation with parts in section showingthe two rails at theirneara r c wee, et r-J accordance wtih this'in- In carrying out my invention, I preferably thicken the base of the rails 1, at the ends thereof. This may be done in the process of manufacture of the rails, but the thickened portion may be also applied to an already constructed rail. The rails-are of the usual formation, and the thickened base 'may be provided by swaging or welding a plate to the base ofthe rail. This thickened portion is indicated by the numeral 2, in the drawings, and 1s provided, approximately at the center thereof with a dependinglug 3. The lug has one of its ends'rounded or convexed n cross section, as indicated by the numeral 4, and its opposite end provided with a concaved transverse depression 5. The thickened base 2, adjacent to the inner end thereof is approximately centrally formed with a'depending ear 6, and this ear has. a transverse opening 7 therethrough. While itis preferable to provide the rails at. the ends thereof with the thickened base portion, as just described, it is to be understood that if'desired the lug 3 andthe ear 6 may be formed with or secured on the base flange of ordinary rails.

As disclosed by the drawings the ends of I the rails 1 rest on a chair of a peculiar construction. This chair includesa flat base 8 that is provided at its endswith depending rectangular portions forming box-like pockets 9. The pocketsopen through the upper face of the base 8 and are otherwise closed. The outer ends ofthe box members that provide the pockets 9 are formed, at their upper edges with spaced pairs of bracketlike lugs 10 between which the ears 6 of the respectiverails 1 are received. The lugs 10 comprise members which are angular in side elevation, and the inner or vertical walls thereof, in; a line with the lower straight walls of the horizontal portions thereof have rounded depressions 11 which are in a line with the rounded openings 7 in the ears 6.; Through the'openings'f there are passed pins 12 that contact withthe horizontal portions of the lugs orbrackets 10 and hold the rails on the chair.

The lugs 3 of the rails are received one in each'of the pockets 9 of the chair, and the opposite edges of the lugs are contacted by the ra1l engaging members illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings. These members, when assembled provide a rocking cradle which not only holds the rails against severe-rd vem r u hich efieei ey prevents the creeping of one rail against the other rail, so that danger incident to such contingencies will be effectively overcome.

The main member of each of the cradles is meral 16 designates a projecting jaw on the inner face of the head which is received in the concaved depression 5 of the lug 3 on the respective rails 1. The body portion of the member 13, below,its jaw 16 has an inclined wall 17 which is designed to contact with the under face of the lug 3 when the rails are influenced by climatic changes or by the pounding pressure of the wheels thereon to cause the rails to move toward each other and which contacting engagement will limit the said movement of th rails in such direction, the parts being so constructed and arranged that such engagement will take place immediately before one of the rail ends contacts with the other, and it will be manifest that the pressure exerted between the jaw 16 and the concaved face of the lug will restrict the travel of one of-the rails in the direction of the other rail. Thus the rails,

. while permitted a desired longitudinal movement incident to expansion or contraction are effectively prevented from having their ends contact with each other. :The rails will be free to :move in opposite directions, but such movement is also restricted, to a certain extent by the engagement of the concaved end .18 of a link 19 which is pivoted, as at 20 between arms 21 on the body portion of the members 13. 'It is to be noted that the pivots16 and 20 are. disposed a considerable distance beyond the ends of the lugs and that a movement of the member 13' will influence 'the link member 19 so that both of these members willat all times-effectively contact with the opposite ends of the lugs 3 of the rails,'and asv a consequence the cradle members in additionjto serving as anti-creeping elements provide supporting means for the railsthat will prevent the movement thereof in a downward direction and which will also simultaneously move with the rails, should the rails be resting above the chair. 1

The base 8 of the chair has flanges 22 and 23 at its edges. The flange 122 is of amaterially less height than the flange 23, but is .sufliciently elevated to contact with the outer 'flangeof an angle plate 24. The flange 23 7 provides the outer wall of. a pocket, the inner wall being provided by the webs of the rails'adjacent-to the said flange. In this pocket is a splice bar 25 that has its inner Corners formed with projecting flanges in the-nature of nose portions 26 that contact with the webs of the .rails as well as wlth the underface of the heads and with the base of the rails. Through the angle or fish plate '24, the webs of the rails and bar'25 pass bolts 27 that are engaged by nuts 28. The

Formed in a-line with the base 8 at the central portion of the chair, and projecting outward from the flange 23. is a ledge plate 29. This plate has spike openings theretl1rough,' and this plate as .well as the base,

plate 8 rests on a tie 30. vThe tie, it will be noted is arranged directly below the meeting ends of the rails 1 and is positioned between thebox-like members that provide thep'ocle ets 9 of the chair. the tie by spikes 31 that, pass through. the

The chair is secured to openings 32in the ledge plate; as clearly disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 ofthe drawings.

It is. believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection. with. the

drawings will clearly set forth the construction and advantages of the improvement-to those skilled in the art to which the inven tion relates. I 7

Having thus described the invention,'what I claim.is: i A i 1. Two rail ends having depending lugs, a rocking cradle below each lug composed of members pivotally supported beyond the ends of the lug and having port'ionsthat have a contacting engagement with the opposite ends of the. lugs. f

2. Two rails each having a depending lug, i

a rocking cradle below each lugcomprising vmembers which are'pivotally supported below and to the oppositeendsof the lugs and.

which have elements having a contacting engagement with the opposite ends vofthe respective lugs, and one of the respective elements disposed in the: path of contact with the under face of the respective lugs.

3. Two rail endseach having a'depending lug, a chair on; which the rail ends rest, pivoted members. carried by the chair having jaw portions to engage one end ofthe respective lugs, and pivoted elements carried by said jaw members engaging the second end of the respective lugs. v c r 4. Two rail ends having each a depending lug, a chair on which the rail ends rest, a cradle carried bythe chair below each lug, and each cradle comprising a pivoted member having a jaw to engage oneend of the lug and a link pivoted to the jaw member to engage the opposite end of the lug. i

5. Two rail ends having each a depending lug and a depending ear, a chair on which the rails rest, spaced brackets on the ends of the chair receiving therebetween the ears 1.30

of the rails, elements passing through the ears and contacting with the under faces of the brackets, a cradle carried by the chair beneath each of the rail lugs, and including a member which is pivoted to the chair and which has a jaw that engages one end of one of the respective lugs, and a pivoted member carried by the first mentioned member and engaging with the opposite end of the respective lug.

6. Two rail ends each having a depending lug and a depending ear, each of the lugs having one of its ends concaved and its opposite end convexed, a chair on which the rails rest having pockets receiving therein the lugs, cradles in said pockets, each including a headed member which is pivoted transversely in the respective pockets and which is provided with a jaw having a rounded end to engage in the concaved end of the respective lugs, a link member pivoted to the outer end of gage with the rounded end of'the respective the first mentioned member and having a concaved end to en-' lugs, the lower face of each of the lugs being in the path of movement of the first mentioned member of the respective cradles, and spaced brackets on the ends of the chair receiving therebetween the respective ears of the rails.

7. Two rail ends each having a depending lug and a depending ear, a chair member on which the rail ends rest, and said chair being centrally supported having its face provided with box-like depressions forming pockets each for a cradle, said cradle comprising pivoted members each having a contacting engagement with the opposite ends of the respective lugs of the rails, flanges on the edges of the base member of the chair, splice members contacting with said flanges and with the rails, securing means through the said splice members, the rails and one of said flanges, and a horizontal ledge projecting from one of the flanges resting on and secured to the tie.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ARTHUR J. WILKINS.

on a tie, said chair 

